Catalytec Team

Ludwig Christian Koch - Chris attended college at Erlangen, Bavaria. He received his economics degree in Nuremberg at Grundig Academy for Business. Chris has extensive international consulting, sales and management experience. In 1998 he became Germany´s youngest chief executive of his own consultancy firm working internationally in Germany, Russia, and the United States. In 2002 Chris turned his attention to the burgeoning industry in Germany of catalytic chemical processes. In 2004 he founded a new company, based on his research, for commercialization of catalytic fractional conversion technology ("CFC"), catalytic oxidizers for pollution cleaning of volatile organic compounds, and catalytic sulfur removal in industrial liquids. Some of the company's major customers were GE, VolksWagen, Medtronic Inc., Ford Motor Company, Pirelli Tire, and Royal Philips N.V.

With his team of engineers and technicians, Chris designed, built, and operated the first CFC proof of concept demonstration system, which offered feedstock validation and performance data. This CFC 50 liters/hr. system was operated in Germany in 2009 until the system was moved to the United States in 2011. The CFC demonstration system was then in operation at Alcoa Inc.’s research and design facility in the Reno-Sparks Industrial Center where it conducted tests in converting a variety of Alcoa Inc.’s waste oils into renewable catalytic fuel oils.

Jeff Hershkowitz is founder and COO of Catalytec. Mr. Hershkowitz attended Butte College and CSU Chico, where he studied engineering, and electronics. He was the founder of his own redevelopment company focusing on redevelopment projects on Lake Tahoe’s North Shore.

In early 2006, Jeff was commissioned to evaluate the possibility of producing a renewable fuel through catalytic fractionation of organic materials. At that time Germany was the leading nation in research and development of catalytic fractionation systems. While studying the technology in Germany Jeff met Christian Koch. The two became fast friends, and now form the nucleus of Catalytec.